2012 Detroit auto show

Latest 2012 Detroit auto show photos

Volkswagen's E-Bugster concept, Jetta Hybrid (photos)

More Detroit Auto Show Photos

Honda CR-Z brochure leak hints at new nav option

Scans of the brochure for the Honda CR-Z have been making the rounds on the Net, giving us a peak at what you get when you apply the terms performance, compact, and hybrid to a production car.

However, upon taking a look at the interior photos, we were hit with what looks like even more good news: the navigation system's new button layout seems to suggest that the CR-Z may be getting a new system. Which is great, considering Honda's current goes-in-everything navigation system is over half a decade old. Does this mean no more DVD-based navigation? Are

Check out the BMW Concept ActiveE

Here's a look at the BMW Concept ActiveE. The all-electric car is based on the 1-series coupe. Unlike the demonstration in this promo video, the batteries don't pop in like a toy, but they will be located where the gas tank would normally go. Look for the ActiveE next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Mini the Beachcomber

Before its upcoming crossover enters production in 2010, Mini is already using this new platform for a concept.

For the Beachcomber, Mini stripped off the doors and roof, opening up the cabin like a dune buggy or jeep. Lest occupants suffer sunburn or freezing rain, Mini includes what it calls "lightweight door and roof elements" that can be "installed within a few minutes."

For its sand-crawling duties, the Beachcomber uses a new all-wheel-drive that Mini calls ALL4, which will be a feature of the upcoming crossover. The suspension is raised, as well, with large wheels providing extra ground clearance.

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BMW Z4 M, minus the M

The BMW Z4 sDrive35i is an excellent sports car. However, BMW's engineers, who must experience self-critical dreams every night about how much smoother a valve could be or whether changing the timing of a spark by a millisecond might improve combustion, couldn't leave it as is. They developed the 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive35is, a higher performance version of BMW's roadster.

Like the sDrive35i, the new roadster uses a twin turbo 3-liter straight six cylinder, but BMW fitted it with a new twin turbo unit to crank up the horsepower from 306 to 335, with torque up from more

New Toyota hybrid concept teased for Detroit

The 2010 car show season is set to kick off in January at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, affectionately and more commonly known as the Detroit auto show. Toyota is going to be there and, being Toyota, you can bet its booth will be stuffed to the gill with hybrids. We've just received a pair of teaser images for an unnamed Toyota hybrid concept.

The concept should be a new model and not simply a hybrid version of a currently selling vehicle. There's not much that we can tell from the pictures beside that it's